We all have that staple sewing pattern that we love to make again and again. The Brando Tee is here to be your new fave! Simple and versatile, this unisex t-shirt can be kept simple and chic in a bamboo jersey or rib knit. For a pop of color, try one of Mood’s jersey prints!
Pair yours with our new Dean Jacket and Basquiat Trousers like we did here!
Purchase Materials Used Below:
- 1-2 yards White Bamboo Jersey
- MDF248 – The Brando Tee Sewing Pattern (free download below!)
Alternative Recommended Fabrics:
Sewing Instructions:
1. Attach front and back at shoulders and sides using overlock or stretch stitch and a regular seam.
2. Create sleeves by sewing up the inseam, again using an overlock/stretch stitch and regular seam.
3. Set sleeves into respective armscyes, aligning notches.
4. Create the neckband by folding in half, face to face, and sewing along the short edge to create the CB seam.
5. Fold band downward in half. Pin and sew along the neckline, face to face, matching up notches.
If desired, you can top-stitch the seam allowance down, but be aware that you’d lose some of the stretch unless using a stretch stitch.
6. Finish sleeves and hem of the shirt by folding up 1” and secure with a stretch/overlock stitch.
33 comments
On the sewing instructions, what do they mean
When they say: without nap or nap on the back of the pattern ?
Hi, Vicki! A fabric with a nap means it has a direction – such as velvet, which feels smooth if you run your hand in one direction, but uncomfortable if you run your hand against the nap. It can also be helpful to treat a directional print as a nap so that all your pattern pieces are laying in the same direction. I hope that makes sense!
just an FYI all the download links for this t-shirt are broken. Pattern is not able to be downloaded in any of the 3 forms.
Hi Meg, send an email to [email protected] and they’ll send the pattern to you! Happy Sewing!
Hi! Does this mold come with the seam measurements included or do I have to add it?
Hi Valeria, the 1/2″ seam allowance is included! Happy sewing!
My spouse wanted to sew some tshirts for me as a gift ans thought this looked like a great basic option. Unfortunately, getting the fit right turned out to be way more complicated than expected. The shoulders are REALLY fitted and need to be quite precise because of how tightly it curves and how much the sleeves are angled downwards. This is a challenge if you are not fitting the proportions of the sizes. The neckband piece does not seem to match finished measurements for the neck, so even measuring the unsewn neckband it comes out really snug and iffy on matching the size. The indent at the waist of the pattern implies it should be more fitted but it has a huge amount of ease below the shoulders (over 4″). I definitely don’t fit the proportions of the straight sizes, but even altering it to get something that wasn’t fitting really awkwardly even with using my measurements took multiple tries due to having to size down so much in shoulders and arms, the neck being so tight, but the body being so loose at the chest in such an angled way.
There being no waist or hip measurement is also an issue given the fit of the garment. For a unisex pattern with a wide size range, it isn’t super friendly to people with different proportions. While i can and often do wear men’s button up shirts off the rack with them being a bit big in the shoulders and fitting in the chest and hips, and grading between a couple aizes for a woven button up, i had to grade between about 4 sizes on this shirt. One for shoulders and sleeves, one for chest, one for waist, one for hips. I can imagine a person with a thicker stomach or someone quite thin would likewise have a lot of issues. Even the bamboo lycra tshirt which should have been somewhat forgiving had to be absolutely perfect in the shoulders to look decent.
It is a nice looking shirt on the mannequin, but not one i will make again likely after having to alter the pattern and still struggling with the shoulders fitting. If you fit the proportions, want a high neckline, long sleeves, and don’t have a long or short body, it should work great. No alteration lines for changing the length so sleeves are easy enough but the body with the shaping is significantly more of a challenge.
Please know that unisex should mean you make it friendly for use by people of different body shapes, not that it is a men’s shirt but since it isn’t a skirt or dress, clearly it is unisex. That isn’t what unisex should mean and I truly hope at least indie pattern makers just start providing full measurements to allow garment customization for different bodies on ALL garments. Clothing is not gendered and “unisex” as a category for patterns that are just men’s patterns without measurements to alter for other proportions is pretty meaningless.
I like the pattern, but I have more wovens in my resource library than knit. If I used a woven: bias required or add to outside edges (how much would you add? i think I will probably use 50 or52).
Hi Karen, personally I would go by the finished garment measurements, adding a keyhole with button in the back.
I plan to make a hospital gown that fits ME (isn’t that one reason we sew?) and I am considering this pattern. Knit fabric question aside (earlier comment) would you use this as your base, or of all Moods wonderful patterns, is there a better choice?
Hi Karen! That sounds like a great idea. I think our Vallea Tunic could work really well as a hospital gown, as it’s been drafted for woven fabrics and has a seam up the back that you could easily add ties to!
Hi. Is there somewhere I can see this shirt on a person? Just want to make sure the sleeves fall how I hope they do before I go through all the effort of a mockup. Thanks!
Hi Olive, sadly all garments sewn during covid quarantine had to be photographed on dress forms. We are working on photographing these garments on models, but unfortunately some of these samples (including the Brando Tee) are no longer in the studio. However, if we sew this garment again, we will photograph it on a model!
Thank you! I’ll have a look at that as an option.
Hello, having some issues with the sleeves. I’m a beginner and there’s just not enough in the instructions for me.
Thanks
Hi Jessy! Is there anything in particular with the sleeves that you’re having trouble with? Hopefully I can break it down a bit for you!
1 – Fold the sleeves in half widthwise, right sides together, and sew the shortest ends together. (See the illustration in the instructions)
2 – Turn the sleeve right side out, and turn the shirt inside out. Match the correct side sleeve into its matching side of the shirt, which you can identify by the notches on the sleeves and shirt. Once you identify the correct sleeve, put it inside the shirt. Match the notches, side seam to the sleeve’s under arm seam, and line up the raw edges. Pin together. And sew.
Hopefully that helps! Good luck!
Thank you!
Can this be modified for a long sleeve? If so, are there easy instruction on how to do this?
Hi Lori! Take a look at our tutorial on How to Add Long Sleeves to the Heath Jumpsuit. That should be a good place to start!
Hi, when it says “overlock or stretch stitch and a regular seam”, does it mean…
A.) 1. overlock and a regular seam or 2. stretch stitch and a regular seam
or
B.) 1. overlock or 2. stretch stitch and a regular seam
?
The second option B. right? I am a bit confused by the wording, but I don’t think a regular stitch would be needed after overlocking, right?
Please lmk, thanks!
Hi Hannah, I can’t say for certain what the author of this post meant, but this is definitely confusing! I’m interpreting this as, overlock or stretch stitch, sewing the pieces right sides together. We sew a lot of french seams here, so I’m thinking “regular seam” was used to differentiate from “french seam”? If I were to sew this, I would overlock it and call it a day! haha 🙂
Any advice if my measurements are smaller than the smallest size ? For instance my neck circumference is 3 inches smaller than neck circumference for smallest size.
Hi Kira, the neck circumference should have some ease to it, because it’s got to fit over your head, and it’s going to be sitting at the base of your neck, not around it. I suggest looking at some of your t-shirts at home to see what those measure at.
Hi, is there anything I should know if I need to adapt this pattern to fit a Tall size? Do I simply add more length to the body?
Thanks!
Hi Helen, you will need to add length to the sleeves and the shirt. If you’re able to use an existing tall t-shirt to compare, that would give you a good idea of how long you want it to be! To lengthen, just cut the shirt and sleeves in half, at a 90 degree angle from the grainline. Add the length, making sure to keep the grainline straight. Redraw the seam lines.
Hi does the neckline band have to be even when you sew it cause mine is not even it’s more uneven so can you please tell me if it needs to be even?
Hi Sam, the neckband does need to be even. If you’re having trouble with the edges curling, I suggest using Heat N Bond Soft Stretch fusible tape to keep things in place while you sew.
Does the neckline band have to be even when you sew it?
Hi Sam! Yes, the neckline band should be evenly folded down and sewn to the neckline. If you’re dealing with rolling fabric when you’re trying to keep it folded before sewing, I suggest using some Heat N Bond Soft Stretch to press the band together so it stays.
Why does this pattern call for a stretch stitch AND a regular seam? And which one goes first and toward the outside?
Hello there!
Thanks for visiting the Mood Sewciety Blog! We’re excited to hear that you’re enjoying our free sewing patterns – we’re proud to have released over 300 of them into the community!
As we continue to grow, we’ve decided to focus our sewist support on our patterns that are up to 2 years old. If this pattern hasn’t been recently re-sewn or updated, we won’t be able to respond to any pattern-related questions on these older posts.
But don’t worry, there’s still a way to connect with fellow sewing enthusiasts like yourself! We invite you to join the Mood Sewciety Facebook group where you can share pattern hacks, ideas, and questions.
Thank you for your understanding and happy sewing!
Best regards,
The Mood Sewciety Blog Team
Hi! I was wondering if you had any tips on lengthening this pattern into a t-shirt dress?
Hi Jenna, this is a very easy adjustment! Just extend CF and CB lines, and then repeat with the side seams, keeping the line at the same angle as the existing side seam. If you’re wanting a dress that’s a little more fitted, you can subtract some width from the waist, and then curve back out at the hips for more shape.